Was cat hit by a car, abused or Vestibular Syndrome ? Try and catch her ? Helpppp

I have been taking care of a fiercely free and semi-feral cat for years. I am full up on my own cats (all but one who are rescues)

Even with food, she in the lone cat no one can catch to TNR.

She basically has lived in the shared backyards since she was born, 4 years ago.

Last I saw her, she was drinking out of a paper bowl of water.

Today I saw her sitting by the back door to the yard. She was up on a ledge about 3 feet off the ground.

I put down a plate of food and then came indoors to watch her eat.

She turned to look at the food and then jumped. And face planted and rolled into the food. She lay on her side for a second and then staggered underneath the cat tree I have out back for her.

She lay flattened but turned when I would say her name. "Minkie"

I came inside to google things about her condition, by the time I returned, she was dragging/staggering into neighbor's backyard.

I don't know what to do. I can go in this neighbor's yard as we're friends, but I am afraid of scaring Minkie into other neighbor's yards (they all hate cats)

It reminds me of another cat a year ago who lingered in the same fashion.

He had head tilt, but you could tell his back must have been broken.

He was able to get enough speed to get away when I tried to catch him. He would drink water and eat a bit, but then he finally vanished.

What does this sound like ?

It could be any number of things and not necessarily the same thing you've seen happen before. 

The best course of action for her is to try to catch her and get her to a vet. While she's resisted TNR in the past whatever is wrong may make it easier to get her especially since she is somewhat familiar with you. I would quietly hang out near the food and try to grab her next time she feeds OR withhold food for 12 hours and then put the food in a trap. Hopefully one of them works and you can get her help. 

Could of been an accident or antifreeze poisoning, ECT. So many possibilities. Hopefully you can catch her and get her into the vet.

Kieka said:

 
It could be any number of things and not necessarily the same thing you've seen happen before. 

The best course of action for her is to try to catch her and get her to a vet. While she's resisted TNR in the past whatever is wrong may make it easier to get her especially since she is somewhat familiar with you. I would quietly hang out near the food and try to grab her next time she feeds OR withhold food for 12 hours and then put the food in a trap. Hopefully one of them works and you can get her help. 

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Thanks, one thing I just witnessed is the next door neighbor who hates cats and whose wife has even bragged about trying to hurt them or drown kittens over the years, was outside talking with his idiot lawncare guy.

I say idiot because this guy brings an industrial sized riding lawn mower to a space of lawn that is 50 by 75.

And then spends 7 hours overdoing everything. I heard him say he chased off cats and he laughed about it Terrible people.

Nearly lost my composure.

Now I think this injury may have just happened, so stressed. 

She sounds a little too smart to be hit or abused by them. If you haven't been able to trap her I doubt the idiot lawncare guy could do more than scare her or maybe spray her with a hose. Cats are pretty good at figuring out who to avoid and especially street smart cats. 

You really may never know the what, why or how of what happened with her. Trying to figure it out and build stories in your head will only lead you to suffer from your own imagination. My Link came home with a limp and a broken leg a few month back. I had a cat who came home with a broken leg as a kid. I don't know what happened to either of them and all my guessing and trying to figure it out came to nothing more than lost time and misspent emotions on my part. 

Take care of the problem and don't worry about the how so much right now. 

Kieka said:

 
She sounds a little too smart to be hit or abused by them. If you haven't been able to trap her I doubt the idiot lawncare guy could do more than scare her or maybe spray her with a hose. Cats are pretty good at figuring out who to avoid and especially street smart cats. 

You really may never know the what, why or how of what happened with her. Trying to figure it out and build stories in your head will only lead you to suffer from your own imagination. My Link came home with a limp and a broken leg a few month back. I had a cat who came home with a broken leg as a kid. I don't know what happened to either of them and all my guessing and trying to figure it out came to nothing more than lost time and misspent emotions on my part. 

Take care of the problem and don't worry about the how so much right now. 

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Your advice calmed me down a lot. Thank you !

Update:

Feeling gutted right now.

I had kept looking for Minkie for the last several days. Leaving out food too.

I finally made peace that she was gone for good.

Today I open the back door and she was sitting looking skeletal and very poor.

Her third eyelids exposed a lot. One pupil slightly enlarged.

Put out food. She stared at it.

Every sound makes her flinch now.

As I tried to approach her, she fell off side of perch. She then quickly dragged herself away.

She managed to jump on raised board.

I watched her for 45 minutes. She kept staring over at her usual eating spot.

I was able to throw some warmed up turkey to her. That freaked her out and she quickly dragged her bony little body over fence.

I am emailing my nice next door neighbor to help. She helped me get the other cats spayed (who sadly have all vanished and/or died over last couple years.) So she can get a hold of a havahart cage. Not that I have any hopes of catching Minkie until she's almost dead.

Any tips on how to proceed are appreciated. Does this sound like brain damage ? How can she jump up when she can't walk or jump down anymore? 

I am so sorry for her situation. It is amazing what cats can accomplish when scared so her ability to jump when she is struggling to walk is not so startling. 

If you have access to a live trap that may be your best option at this point. Barring that then just patience and slow movement when she is around. Sit near where she normally eats and don't move when she comes up. Or try putting her food within a crate of some sort so you can close the door quickly (maybe a string tied to the door so you can be further away?).

It doesn't sound like brain damage. Just a hurt, scared and hungry cat reverting to instincts. At this point she won't be acting herself at all just following habits and patterns on instinct. 

I wish you all the luck possible in catching her and getting her some help. 

No Minkie, she is clear gone to the Great Beyond. I am taking this as a literal sign to move out of this neighborhood. The cats have all slowly but surely vanished  over the years and I know that the largely immigrant neighbors think cats are just nuisances.

Tonight, for the 1st time in 5 years living here, I saw a big brown rat running straight at me. 

Aside from NYC, I have never seen a rat up close.

It was dark and raining so it actually scared me.

The idiots in this neighborhood should have been nicer to the kittehs, now it looks like they have a rodent problem. 

I will be happy to move away come Spring.

Thanks for the words of support.

  I am very sorry for the sad situation. If Minkie is gone to the Great Beyond, she is where nobody can ever harm or scare her again. I know how distressing it is to have cat-hating neighbors. We had a mean lady up the street that called us & left nasty notes that she was luring, trapping and killing our feral cats (some of those poor cats must have belonged to the neighbors because we weren't missing as many as she had done away with). I got caller-ID-block and blocked her calls so she left the notes and I finally had to ask the deputies to go speak to her and she hasn't contacted us since - I don't trust her about the luring/trapping, though.

If you can move, it sounds like you will be free to go since you won't be leaving the ferals behind. I was hoping for a better update but perhaps this will be for the best in the long run. You may wind up in an area that you can TNR, and/or make friends with someone who really, really needs you as a friend. Prayers for guidance and blessings   ~ susan